Ellen Ruby Blog's: $850K Double Dome Home in Virginia Gives Off Groovy Vibes

Monday, 3 May 2021

$850K Double Dome Home in Virginia Gives Off Groovy Vibes

An intriguing residence that doubles up on geodesic domes has landed the market in the Washington, DC, suburbs.

The shapely house on Beverly Street in Annandale, VA, is available for $850,000.

Built in 2002, the home offers 3,758 square feet of highly unusual space.

“When the [current owner] was younger, he read an article about Buckminster Fuller in a Popular Mechanics magazine. From that point on, he always knew he wanted to live in [a geodesic dome],” explains the co-listing agent, Brenda May, who is working along with Gabriel Deukmaji to sell the home.

Fuller popularized this type of construction to maximize the amount of a home’s indoor space and to build a strong structure, using minimal materials. The agent was taken aback by the home’s spaciousness.

“It looks fairly small from the outside, and I didn’t really know what to expect, but you open the doors and step into this great room,” May explains. “It’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, because there’s a 35-foot ceiling at the highest point of the dome.”

Exterior of home in Annandale, VA
BTW Images

The larger of the two domes dome serves as the main house and features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and living spaces. A second dome serves a three-car garage.

“The connection between the larger dome and the smaller dome is actually the kitchen, so that works out really well,” May explains. “The garage dome is awesome, because they haven’t finished the inside, so you can see the structure of the dome. It’s all wood and is absolutely beautiful.”

While unfinished, the garage does have parking for cars, a workspace, and a loft area where the current owners planned to build an in-law suite.

In addition to the distinctive shape, the home’s decor is also unique. You’ll notice some of the interior walls are lined. As in—there are lines running across them.

“[There’s] contrasting molding following the structure of the dome, and some people either love it or they hate it. They say it looks like a spider’s web,” May says.

Although it was built in the early 2000s, the stylings and colors with the dome give off a distinctive 1970s-era vibe.

“I think that’s just what their inspiration was. Maybe that could be the best times of their life, I’m not sure. Definitely, the couch and the sunken living room are very ’70s,” she says.

One colorful room boasts magenta carpet and bright green walls.

“I’ve heard it referred to as the watermelon room,” May jokes, adding that other carpets in the home are just as bright.

Given the home’s shape, a buyer must be prepared for its lack of straight lines inside.

“They had artwork on the walls, so it doesn’t feel odd,” May says. “I’ve been over there a lot, and it has really grown on me. The first time I walked in, I felt like I stepped through a time warp. It’s a very happy space, because it is light-filled.”

A spiral staircase leads to the top of the dome, where there’s seating space and windows to take in the view.

“We had one young couple look at it very seriously, and they want to put a deck on the top of the dome,” May says. “I’m trying to find an engineer who would tell me if that’s even possible.”

May says the owners are selling it so they can find a place with fewer stairs, leaving the dome home to someone new.

“I think millennials might be the perfect buyer, because I think that they get the vibe of the house, and would be ready to decorate it and bring it up to the next level,” she says.